News and Notes 3/28/13: Bracket Challenge, NESCAC Pro Hockey update and new Trinity recruit

NCAA Hockey Tournament Bracket Challenge

As we did with the basketball tournament, we are doing a bracket challenge for the 2013 NCAA D-I  men's hockey tournament.  Sign up at the site below and join the group "NESCACHockey". The password: inthecac. Fill out our bracket and enjoy the tournament. The winner gets a shirt (pictured) and 'Cac bragging rights.


You can enter any time up until puck drop of the first game at 2 PM tomorrow. Unlike the basketball tournament there are only 16 teams, so picking teams isn't time consuming.




Bracket Challenge: Sign up/Login

NESCAC Pro-Hockey Update

Nick Craven (Photo courtesy of Just Sports Photography )

The Spring Break pro-hockey journeys of both Wesleyan's Nick Craven (F, Sr.) and Bowdoin's Al
Milley (D, Sr.) have both come to an end.

Craven signed an Amateur Tryout Contract (ATO) with the AHL's Binghamton Senators on March 6th and appeared in four games, registering no points and getting off four shots on goal. On Monday, March 25th Craven was released from his contract.

A week after Bowdoin was eliminted from the NCAA tournament in Utica, Milley signed a Standard Player Contract with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers on Saturday, March 16th. Milley appeared in one game was released five days later on March 21st.


New Recruit for Trinity
In D-III hockey nothing is final until the "commit" makes it to campus and has his name listed on the roster in November. But generally you have a good idea before then who will or won't be on the team. Via the twitter feed of Westminster center Sean Orlando, he will be joining Matt Greason's Trinity squad next year.

Can't wait to spend four more years with @eholdaway83 Trinity College class of 2017 #Martlets #Bantams
— Sean Orlando (@shorelandobloom) March 27, 2013

The player referenced in the tweet refers to Orlando's Westy teammate Ethan Holdaway, who had already committed to Trinity. Orlando spent the past two years on Westminster after making the big jump to prep school from Tier II hockey with the Hatfield Ice Dogs in Pennsylvania. As a Senior in 2012-13, Orlando had 24 points (10-14-24) in 16 games for the New England Prep School runner-ups (Westy lost to Salisbury in the championship).

Orlando played on a 2011-12 Westminster team with  Evan Neugold of Middlebury, who had a successful 18 point (8-10-18) rookie campaign as a Panther. Orlando's current teammate, defender Xaviar Morion, has commited to Hamilton.

NCAA D-1 NCAA Tournament: Six Degrees of 'Cac Separation

The NCAA announced its field of 16 Sunday night for the D-I men's ice hockey tournament.  Though NESCAC hockey ended with Bowdoin's 4-2 loss to Utica on March 9th in the Quarterfinal Round of the D-III tournament, 'CAC connections run deep throughout the rosters and coaching staffs of the 16 D-I championship hopefuls.

The strongest tie comes from the UMass-Lowell River Hawks, Hockey East regular and postseason champions and the number one seed in the Northeast Regional. Lowell is coached by former Hamilton head man (2008-11) and 2010 and 2011 NESCAC Coach of the Year Norm Bazin. After leading Hamilton to its first ever regular season NESCAC crown in 2011, Bazin left for his alma mater to take over a 5-25-4 Lowell club in the basement of the powerful Hockey East conference. In two years, Bazin has resurrected the program to a 50-23-3 record, including back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history and the River Hawks' first ever Hockey East regular and postseason championships in 2012. Bazin has now received his conference's Coach of the Year Award four years in a row (NESCAC in 10-11 and HE in 12,13).

Bazin was followed to Lowell by his star at Hamilton, 2011 NESCAC Player of the year Joe Houk (D, Jr.). The switch was unsolicited by Bazin and Houk had to sit out the 2011-12 season per NCAA transfer rules. Though he didn't score in his first year in Division-I hockey, the 6'0" 204 lb defender received regular playing time and reached double digit in points (0-10-10). For more on Bazin and Houk, check out the Word Press blog post about the duo.

Bazin took over Lowell from Blaise MacDonald, who was relieved of his duties as River Hawks head coach in March 2011 after amassing a 150-178-2 record in 10 seasons. After spending a year as a UMass-Amherst assistant, MacDonald ended up in the NESCAC as the head coach of the Colby Mules.

Other 'Cac coaching connnections in the NCAA tournament include Rand Pecknold, head coach of the 1st overall seed Qunnipiac Bobcats and Connecticut College alum ('90). Former longtime Colby coach (1995-2011) and brother of New York Rangers coach John Tortorella, Jim Tortorella serves as an assistant coach for the New Hampshire Wildcats, who will take on Denver in the NorthEast regional (same bracket as Lowell).  Former Williams assistant (2007-08) Dan Muse is an assistant on the Yale staff. The fourth seeded Bulldogs will play Minnesota, the top seed in the West Region.

This is to say nothing of the players. Many of the D-1 puckers who will compete for the ultimate prize at the Frozen Four in Pittsburgh grew up playing with or against many of the current NESCAC players. To take one example, Lowell's Terrence Wallin (F, So.) and Boston College's Danny Linell (F, So.) played on a 2009 Long Island Gulls Midget National team with Brian McNamara (D, So.) and Sean Dougherty (G, So.) of Williams and Joseph Rausch (F, So.) of Hamilton.

The Gulls made it all the way to the National semifinals, where they lost, 9-6, to national runner-up Team

Comcast.  Comcast had current Wesleyan Cardinal Adam DeSanctis (D, So.) and Trinity Bantam Paul Burns (D, So.), as well as several D-1 players from teams in the upcoming tournament; current University of New Hampshire Wildcats Kyle Smith (F, Fr.) and Jamie Hill (F, Fr.), as well as  Nick Cruice (F, Fr.) of Union.

In prep school hockey, DeSanctis would go on to co-captain The Gunnery's 2010-11 varsity team with Lowell's Wallin. That Gunnery team had a trio of players that just finished up their rookie campaigns in the 'Cac: Trinity's Ben Hjalmarrson (D, Fr.), Wesleyan's Jaren Taenaka (F, Fr.) and Middlebury's Ron Fishman (D, Fr.).

The leading scorer for Team Comcast, Kyle Criscuolo (F, Fr.), now plays for Harvard. Before ending up in Cambridge, MA, he joined former LI Gull and current BC Eagle Linell at Choate Rosemary Hall with a slew of NESCAC players. The Gulls McNamara/Rausch laced up the skates for the Wild Boars, as well as Middlebury's Nick BonDurant (G, Jr.) and Conn College's Mike Doyle (D, So.) and Adam Patel (F, So.).

And all those tangential NESCAC/D1 connections come from one example. You could take almost any successful AAA youth hockey team or junior team or prep school team and most likely find similar connections. The bottom line is that NESCAC players grew up playing the highest level of competitive youth hockey alongside D-I players.

Map of the 59 D-1 men's hockey teams (source; click to englarge)

Some were too small to be recruited for D-I, some had a specific hole in their game, but sometimes it was just a numbers game. With the addition of Penn State to the D-I ranks in 2012, 59 schools now have NCAA Division-I men's ice hockey. In comparison, the other popular winter team sport, basketball, has 347 schools that sponsor D-I programs.

If we add in the 79 D-II/III men's hockey programs, that is still only 138 opportunities to play NCAA hockey, or 209 less NCAA hockey programs than D-I basketball programs. While hockey rosters have more players and more kids growing up play basketball than hockey, it still remains that collegiate hockey opportunities are scarcer than those in hoops.

In the press conference earlier this month announcing his retirement, legendary Boston University hockey coach Jack Parker lamented the increased age of collegiate players from when he took over the Terriers 40 years ago.  NESCAC players don't get scholarships or play on national - or even regional- television, but they delay their entrance into college  for PG years and junior hockey just as their D-I counterparts do.

That's not to say NESCAC or D-III players/teams are on the same plane as the boys vying to make it to Pittsburgh. Division I is Division I. Players are better and they often hone their skills in juniors longer. But the gap between D-I and D-III may be smaller than many think. As Bowdoin assistant coach and recruiting director Jamie Dumont said in a recent Maine Hockey Journal article:

 “We make our living here in the NESCAC and at some of the other top Division III schools, we make our living on those ‘in-betweeners,’ who probably could play Division I in a year’s time, or don’t want to go walk on, they want to go to a school where they will be a four-year contributor.”

So as you watch the field of 16 fight over the next few weeks for the ultimate prize in college hockey, just remember that many of those involved in the conflict once played or coached on the same level as the NESCAC coaches and players. And if you are bored, you can always try to play the game, Six Degrees of 'Cac Separation.

It's easy. Just choose a player in the NCAA Tournament and try to connect him in six players or less to a NESCAC player. Take for example Erik Haula (F, Jr.), the point leader (16-33-49) for second ranked Minnesota. The Finnish born Golden Gopher played on the 2009-10 Omaha Lancers with Stefan Demopoulos (F, So.) of the Providence Friars. Demopoulous played on the 2008-09 Avon Old Farms team with six 2012-13 NESCACers: Connor Doyle (F, Fr.) and Eric Naclerio (D, So.) of Conn College, Spike Smigelski (F, Sr.) and Mike Debello (F, Fr.) of Colby, Michael Flynn (D, So.) of Trinity and Dylan Shamburger (F, Fr.) of Bowdoin.

See it's fun. Now you try.

Note: If you want a chance to win a NESCACHockey.com shirt (pictured below), you can enter our D-I men's hockey tournament bracket challenge here. Sign up and join the group "NESCACHockey". The password: inthecac. Fill out our bracket and enjoy the tournament. The winner gets a shirt and 'Cac bragging rights. 

Bracket Challenge: http://www.pickemhockey.com/bracket/index.php

After a Year: Evaluating the 2012-13 NESCAC recruiting class

With Wisconsin Eau-Claire being crowned the NCAA D-III men's hockey champion on March 16th, the D-III hockey season is officially over. In the coming weeks and months, all eyes in the D-III hockey world will turn towards the 2013-14 incoming recruitment class.

But we'll have plenty of time to discuss that. For now, let's take a look, school-by-school, how the 2012-13 

NESCAC recruiting class did in their inaugural collegiate season. 

Amherst

Amherst's Conor Brown

Eight freshman saw playing time for fourth place Amherst, with three dressing for 20 or more games. Conor Brown (Greeley, Ontario) led the youngsters in scoring, finishing eighth on the team in points with 18 (7-11-18) in 21 games. After an injury in January, Brown worked his way up to the first line in February, including a big four goal weekend in Maine against Bowdoin and Colby. In an interview with USCHO, Lord Jeffs thirty year head coach Jack Arena said this about the frosh, "Conor is not a flashy kind of player out there. He works hard every time he goes out on the ice. He makes good decisions with the puck, and really has been a nice addition to that line. " (full article)

Forward Topher Flanagan (Edmonton, Alberta) and defenseman Kevin Ryder (Gates Mills, Ohio) also played significant roles for the men in purple. Flannagan had seven points (2-5-7) and led the team with 31 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct against St. Michael's. Ryder had six points (3-3-6) and 17 penalty minutes of his own, and also had a game misconduct for a late hit against Wesleyan in November. All New England Prep School goalie Dave Cunningham (Arlington, Massachussets) served as the primary backup for senior Nathan Corey, garnering a (4-1-1) record in seven games; Cunningham had a 1.49 GAA and .927 save percentage. With Corey graduating, Cunningham should at least compete for, if not earn, the starting job next season. 

Bowdoin

A total of seven frosh (3 forwards, 4 defensemen) dressed at some point in the season for the 2013 NESCAC men's hockey regular season and tournament champion.  Dylan Shamburger (Atlanta, Georgia) led the novice forwards with six points (3-3-6), including a goal in the first round NCAA Tournament game against U-Mass Dartmouth. Blueliner Gabriel Renaud (Quebec City, Quebec) dressed in 28 games and became a mainstay in coach Terry Meagher's defensive pairings. Benet Pols had this to say about Renaud: 

He was very solid all year long, but became increasingly noticeable as the season wore on. I think he learned a lot from (senior co-captain) Tim McGarry and showed real improvement in a couple of areas. He was solid throughput the season as a classic defender, taking the guy in front, defensive end corner work and shot blocking all while mainly staying out of the box.

But late in the season he suddenly became very noticeable in transition, he showed a lot of confidence in collecting the loose puck between the blue lines and turning it right back around---classic play for an offensive minded Bowdoin D guy like McGarry or Kyle Shearer-Hardy. He also played a great game against Hamilton in the playoffs, kept the puck in the offensive end a lot when Bowdoin was scrambling to get back into it. I bet he collects a lot of assists next season.

Max Fenkell

Sophomore transfer Max Fenkell (Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania) also gets included in this category in his first year as a Polar Bear. Fenkell spent a year in Canadian juniors after leaving Colgate before landing in Brunswick. He split time with Steve Messina between the pipes, going 10-1-1 in 14 games, with his first loss of the season coming in the NCAA Quarterfinals at Utica. Fenkell received positive reviews from both his coach and fellow players with his hockey IQ being the most consistent attribute of his game receiving praise. To hear Coach Meagher talk about Fenkell, as well as the controversial (to some) decision to play Fenkell on back to back days on NESCAC championship weekend, click here. 

Colby 
Only five first years saw the ice in Coach Blaise MacDonald's first year behind the bench in Waterville. Three players dressed in more than twenty games, with Jonathan Sdao (Niwot, Colorado) leading the way with eight points (4-4-8).  Sdao scored the game winner in a 2-1 contest against Connecticut College in the final weekend of the regular season that helped the Mules make the playoffs. Forward Tyler Lingel (South Glenn Falls, New York) had six points (3-3-6) and defenseman Chris Kennedy (Sherborn, MA) had three assists (0-3-3) to round out the trio of impactful freshman. 

With coach MacDonald having his first full off-season at Colby, expect a larger group of freshman dressing in games next year for the Mules. According to the WordPress Blog, Colby already has 11 incoming names on their recruitment list for the 2013-14 season.

Connecticut College 
The ninth place Camels had one of the larger recruiting classes in the NESCAC with nine players seeing playing time. Of the baseball team sized class,Tim DiPretoro (Philadelphia, PA) had the most statistically impressive season, finishing tied for the team lead in scoring and fourth on the team with 14 points (9-5-14). Sebastian Meltzer (Montreal, QC) also saw significant playing time on his way to six points (3-3-6). 

In net, freshman Tom Conlin (Norwood, MA) split time in net with junior Mike Petchonka (Ridgefield, CT). In 13 appearances, Conlin led the team in wins (5-6-0), save percentage (.917) and Goals Against Average (2.65).

Hamilton 

Marko Brelih

With a big recruiting class and a slew of injuries, 10 rookies played for the eight place Continentals this season. Eight of them played in 17+ games and another, Kenny Matheson (Pointe Claire, Quebec), tied for fifth on the team in points (2-6-8) despite playing in only nine games due to a concussion. Freshman blueliner Marko Brelih (Toronto, Ontario) led the team in points (7-13-20) and game winning goals (2), and made 2nd Team All-NESCAC as well as  the All-USCHO rookie team.

Two other Conts played their first full season in Clinton, NY. Junior Dom Jancaterino (Needham, MA) and sophomore Nick Vassos (Caledon, QC) transferred to Hamilton in the spring semester of the 2011-12 season. After appearing in sixteen games for Division-I Sacred Heart in 2010-11, Jancaterino played in 14 games for the Continentals in 2011-12 and had two helpers (0-2-2).  This season, the D-1 transfer finished second on the offensively challenged team in scoring (8-4-12). Vassos came over from Bowdoin, where he didn't play, and didn't appear in any games in the conference's ugliest unis either in the spring of 2012 due to concussive symptoms.  In hist first collegiate season dressing, Vassos had 5 points (2-3-5).

Middlebury 
11(Coach Bill) Beaney Babies donned the giant M on their chest in the 2012-13 campaign. Matt Silcoff (Thornhill, ON) led the way, finishing first on the Panthers in scoring (11-13-24) en route to NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors. Silcoff played with Hamilton's 2nd Team All-NESCAC rookie Marko Brelih two seasons ago at Upper Canada College before they went their separate ways in junior hockey. Forward Evan Neugold (Goshen, CT)  had 18 points (8-10-18)  and Brendan McGovern (Centerport, NY) also reached double digits (2-8-10).

On the backline, three frosh saw significant playing time. Terrance Goguen (Weston, MA) led all freshman in games played and rookie blueliners in points (4-5-9). Rare 18 year old recruit Max Greenwald (Potomac, Maryland)  and former D-1 Heisenberg watch list product Connor Frick (Webster Groves, Missouri) also saw significant playing time.  Netminder Liam Moorfield-Yee (Toronto, Ontario) was one of four goalies that saw time between the pipes for the Panthers this year. Moorefield-Yee had a (1-6-0) record before falling out of the rotation in late January.

Trinity 

Mike Hawkrigg

NESCAC Coach of the Year Matt Greason played seven rookies in his second year as Bantams coach. Mike Hawrigg (Tornoto, OT) was third on the team in goals and had 18 points (9-9-18). None were bigger than his three point effort against Wesleyan in the NESCAC Quarterfinals (2-1-3), including the game tying and OT winning goal to send Trinity to Brunswick for the NESCAC Semifinals. His performance also earned him NESCAC Player of the Week honors - something no other freshman achieved - on February 25th. Hawkrigg had 5 game winning goals, all in conference play, to lead both his team and the conference as a whole. Hawkrigg also led all NESCAC rookies in penalty minutes with 41.

Besides Hawkrigg, forwards Elie Vered (Ottawa, ON) and Jim Burt (Hamden, CT), as well as defender Ben Hjalmarrson (Lidingo, Sweden), saw solid playing time. Backing up All-NESCAC first team goalie Ben Coulthard (South Windsor, CT),  Nathaniel Heilbron (West Vancouver, British Columbia) had a 2-1-0 record in five appearances, which included an impressive 1.76 GAA and (.947) save percentage.

Tufts
Last place Tufts had nine freshman make the squad this year, with seven rooks playing 17 or more games. Stewart Bell (Marriettta, GA) finished second on the team with 20 points (9-11-20), with Dom Granato (Pittsburgh, PA) adding 9 (2-7-9) and Keith Campbell (Newark, Delware) contributing 7 (2-5-7). For the blueliners, a pair of Arlington, MA natives (Brian Oullette and Aidan Hartigan) played a considerable amount. Goalie Derek Metcalfe (Stoneham, MA), younger brother of senior captain Nick Metcalfe, played in seven games and at (2-3-0) had the best winning percentage (.400) among net-minders on the team.

Wesleyan
Wesleyan had a bit of a different freshman class than the rest of the conference. The Cardinals had the second smallest rookie group (6) in the NESCAC, but all five skaters played 20+ games. No frosh cracked double digits in points, but all five had at least six points; Jay Matthews (Marshfield, MA) led the way with nine (5-4-9). 2011-12 mid-season transfer Casey Fratkin (Burnaby, BC) had three points (0-3-3) in his first full season as a Wesleyan defender after transferring from Elmira.

The real star of the rookie class was goaltender Nolan Daley (Exeter, New Hampshire). In 11 appearances, Daley went (5-3-3), leading the team in Win% (.591), Save Percentage (.926) and GAA (2.50). Daley had a season high 46 saves on February 2nd to shepherd the Cardinals to a 0-0 tie against 2nd Team All-NESCAC goalie Sean Dougherty and Williams.

Williams 
Joining Wesleyan at the bottom of the list both alphabetically and in freshman class size (6), Williams had moderate impact from their rookies.  Defender Zander Masucci (Far Hills, NJ) led the freshman Ephs in scoring with 11 points (3-8-11), but also finished second on the team in penalty minutes with 26. Fellow blueliner Greg Johnson (Dallas, Texas) also dressed in all 27 games and netted eight points (2-6-8). Goalie Noah Klag (Bryn Mawr, PA) backed up Dougherty and went (2-0-1). Klag gave up three goals on 41 shots for the season, including a 15 save shutout against Wentworth on January 28th.








 

Three NESCAC players make D-III All-USCHO Teams

With contributions from Benet Pols 

USCHO 1st Team selection Ollie Koo

All week long United States College Hockey Online (USCHO) has released their end of the year D-III men's hockey awards. First was Player of the Year, then Coach of the Year and finally Rookie of the Year. No NESCAC players/coaches were selected for any of these honors.

Today, the USCHO released their All-USCHO First, Second, Third and Rookie Teams. Three NESCAC skaters made the list: Bowdoin's Ollie Koo (D/F, Jr.) on the First Team as a defender, Wesleyan's Keith Buehler (F, Jr.) on the Third Team and Hamilton's Marko Brelih (D, Fr.) on the Rookie Team. 

Koo, a junior for Greenwich, Connecticut, listed on the Bowdoin roster as a forward/defender, started his season with a bang. In the first five games he notched five goals and matched them with five assists. An injury in the 6th game against arch-rival Colby sidelined him for two games, but he bounced back to play out the season. Koo led the Polar Bears in scoring with 34 points (16-18-34) in 27 games. His 16 tallies came on only 45 shots, with his last goal of the season coming on a first period top shelf job against Utica in the NCAA quarterfinals that had Utica College’s broadcaster, Ray Biggs, beside himself. It gave the Polar Bears an early 1-0 lead in a game they would later lose, 4-2, on an empty net goal to end their season.

Koo’s early season scoring earned him NESCAC player of the week honors for November 26, 2012. Later in the season he, along with teammate Daniel Weineiger, was named a semi-finalist for the Joe Concannon award given annually to the best American born Div II/III collegiate men’s ice hockey player in New England.

USCHO 3rd Team Selection Keith Buehler

Koo, a fixture at the point during power plays, was often matched with fellow juniors Colin Downey and Harry Matteson to form a potent line of forwards during the middle portion of the season; Koo finished the season on the blue line starting the last three games at defense before moving up front again during a mid-game adjustment in the NESCAC quarterfinal against Hamilton.

The Cardinals Buehler had a monster statistical season, finishing fifth in the country in points (20-20-40) and leading the NESCAC in both overall and conference (16-15-31) scoring. Buehler's standout game came in January, when he netted six points (3-3-6) in an OT victory at Bowdoin to hand the Polar Bears - the last remaining unbeaten team in D-III men's hockey at the time - their first loss of the season. 

Buehler comes out of the 2013 awards season as the most decorated NESCAC pucker.The Wesleyan junior became the first Cardinal to ever win NESCAC Player of the Year, in addition to being named to the AHCA 2nd Team All-American Squad. Though he didn't win the trophies, the  5'10" forward from upstate New York was also named a finalist for both the Joe Concannon and Sid Watson Awards.

Marko Brelih

Brelih, a 6'1" offensive minded defenseman from Toronto, led the eighth place Continentals in points (7-13-20). The rookie blueliner's first collegiate goal came in OT of a big road victory against Trinity in November. He also had four points (1-3-4) in the Conts season saving victory against Conn College on 2/11. After Brelih scored in the second period, the Conts were trailing 3-2 heading into the final period. Hamilton would explode for an uncharacteristic 5 goals - three of them on helpers from Brelih - to defeat the Camels,7-3,  in what would prove to be a playoff-berth clinching victory.

 In addition to making the USCHO Rookie Team, Brelih was the only freshman selected to the NESCAC All-Conference squads, making the 2nd Team as a defender. Middlebury's Matt Silcoff (F, Fr.) took home NESCAC Rookie of the Year despite not making the 1st or 2nd team.

First Team
G – David Jacobson, St. Norbert
D – Ollie Koo, Bowdoin
D – Scott Farrell, Neumann
F – Paul Rodrigues, Oswego State
F – Luke Moodie, Oswego State
F – Kyle Stroh, St. Norbert

Second Team
G – Brandon Stephenson, Wisconsin-Eau Claire
D – Shaun Jameson, Wentworth
D – Jack Callahan, Wisconsin-Eau Claire
F – Joe Caveney, Fitchburg State
F – Branden Parkhouse, Becker
F – Zach Graham, Adrian

Third Team
G – Nick Broadwater, Hobart
D – Rob Florentino, Massachusetts-Boston
D – Jesse McConney, Oswego State
F – Keith Buehler, Wesleyan
F – Jordan Singer, Wisconsin-Eau Claire
F – Louie Educate, Utica

All-Rookie Team
G – Saxton Soley, St. John’s
D – Donny Olivieri, Utica
D – Marko Brelih, Hamilton
F – Shaquille Merasty, Adrian
F – Peter MacIntyre, Massachusetts-Boston
F – Kevin Emmerling, Plattsburgh State

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/2013/03/22/d-iii-all-uscho-teams-announced/#ixzz2OHnV5fY1

News and Notes 3/21/13: All-Academic Team

 Bowdoin's Dan Weiniger

 With four  - Williams (1), Amherst (2), Middlebury (4), Bowdoin (6) - of the top six ranked liberal arts colleges (according to U. S. News and World Report) in the nation, the NESCAC prides itself on academic excellence.  The trio of Hamilton, Wesleyan and Colby come in at 16,17, and 18, respectively, to put most of the conference in the top 20. Tufts is the lone 'CAC school on the separate ranking of larger schools  ("National Universities"), clocking in at number 28. Rounding out the NESCAC appearances on the Liberal Arts list are Trinity at 38 and Conn. College at 41.

In this spirit of academic excellence, the NESCAC released its All-Academic team for winter sports this week. To qualify, students  "must have reached sophomore academic standing and be a varsity letter winner with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.35. A transfer student must have completed one year of study at the institution."

A total of 871 student athletes made the list, including 81 men's hockey players. Middlebury men's hockey had the most with 11, followed by Amherst (10), Colby (10), Connecticut College (10), Wesleyan (10),   Williams (8), Trinity (7), Tufts (7),  Bowdoin (5) and Hamilton (3).

Six members of the men's hockey All-Sporstmanship team also made the All-Academic team: Bowdoin's Dan Weiniger (F, Sr.), Colby's Jake Billiar (F, Sr.), Conn College's  Kevin Kelly (F, Jr.), Middlebury's  Eric Zagorski (G, Sr.), Trinity's Tim Shea (F, So.) and Wesleyan's Donald Kleckner (F, Sr.).

Amherst's Johnny Van Siclen (F, Sr.) has some academic game to go with his name and hockey game. The 2nd team All-NESCAC selection was one of only two men's hockey players to make both the All-Conference and All-Academic teams.

The other, Bowdoin's Dan Weiniger (F, Sr.), was one of only seven athletes across all winter sports to make the All-Conference, All-Sportsmanship and All-Academic teams. The senior from New Jersey made his second career 1st team All-NESCAC team this season and finished his career in Brunswick with 116 points (57-59-116).

NESCAC Official Release and full list of 2013 winter All-Academic Team. 

Amherst Release
Bowdoin Release
Colby Release
Conn College Release
Hamilton Release
Middlebury Release
Tufts Release 

News and Notes 3/19/13: USCHO Awards, End of Year Polls and Steubenville reaction

USCHO Awards

Amherst's La Rose won USCHO D-IIIPlayer of the Year in 2012

United States College Hockey Online (USCHO) will be releasing their Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year and All-America teams this week. They have already released their choice for D-III Player of the Year, Oswego's Paul Rodrigues. Last week, Rodrigues won the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA)'s Sid Watson Award, given to the best player in D-III men's ice hockey; Wesleyan's Keith Buehler was also a finalist. The Sid Watson Award is named after legendary Bowdoin coach/Athletic Director and former NFL athlete Sid Watson. In 2012 Amherst senior goaltender Jonathon La Rose took home both the Sid Watson Award and USCHO D-III Player of the Year.

 USCHO Player of the Year: Paul Rodrigues

End of the Year Rankings
Both USCHO and D3Hockey.com took it upon themselves to do a final poll now that D-III hockey is over for the 2012-13 season. USCHO has Bowdoin at 7, Williams at 13 and Amherst/Middlebury receiving votes. D3Hockey had the same ranks for the Polar Bears and Ephs, with the Lord Jeffs, Panthers and Trinity receiving votes.

Final USCHO Rankings
Final D-3 Hockey.com Rankings 

Locker Room Culture
The 2012 Steubenville, Ohio high school rape case and subsequent 2013 trial and conviction of two high school football players has created a slew of serious conversations from the role of social media in the sexual assault to journalistic ethics in coverage and high school culture.

Using the Steubenville case as a springboard (but not dealing with the case directly), former Bowdoin goalie Nick Smith ('09) presents his musings on a locker room culture that can promote team loyalty but at the same time can be a bastion of "vile, homophobic, and sexist attitudes." Smith relays an experience of a gentlemanly hockey role model from his youth and calls for more role models, who would promote respectful attitudes towards women, in locker rooms.

The piece appears on the website for "Speak About It," a "performance-based presentation about consent, boundaries and healthy relationships." Smith, now a med student at Boston University, was a cast member for Speak About it in 2010 and 2011.

Nick Smith's Reaction To Steubenville 

Hat tip to Benet Pols for the link 

News and Notes 3/18/13: Bowdoin defenseman goes pro, March Madness and more

Bowdoin's Milley signs SPC with Wheeling Nailers of ECHL

Milley sports flowing locks

Nick Craven isn't the only NESCAC senior joining the pro ranks. After his Polar Bears season ended with a 4-2 loss to Utica in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals on March 9th, Bowdoin defenseman Alexander Milley signed a Standard Player Contract (SPC) with the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL)'s Wheeling Nailers on Saturday's March 16th. Milley appeared in the Nailers 3-1 loss to the Toledo Walleye (you can't make up minor league hockey names) on Saturday.

The ECHL is the second highest level of minor league hockey in North America, behind only the American Hockey League (AHL). 25 of 30 NHL franchises have an affiliation with one of the ECHL's 23 teams. The Wheeling Nailers, based in Wheeling, West Virginia, are affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens. The Nailers currently sit eight points behind the Walleye for the eighth and final playoff spot with seven games remaining in the regular season.

The 5'9" 165 lb. defenseman from Winchester, Mass. played in 49 games in four years at Bowdoin, garnering 32 penalty minutes and 6 points (3-3-6). He scored his third and final collegiate goal in Bowdoin's 5-2 NCAA Tournament opening round victory over UMass-Dartmouth on March 6th, exactly three years to the day (3/6/10) after his second college goal.  Milley wore number 26 for the Polar Bears but wears number four for the Nailers.

Alexander Milley's official Wheeling Nailers roster page 

March Madness

Sure it isn't hockey, but everyone loves picking brackets for the soon to tip off NCAA D-I men's basketball tournament. We are having our own bracket challenge, with the winner getting a nescachockey.com t-shirt (design to be revealed this week) and a hat from the winner's NESCAC school of choice. The Middlebury Hockey hat to the right is an example of what you could get, but it is just an example. The choice is yours...if you win, of course.

You can enter and follow the standings here. No fee for entry, limit one entry per person. You can signup with a yahoo ID, facebook or google account. Standard bracket scoring: 1 point for correct picks from the round of 64, 2 points for the round of 32, 4 points for the sweet 16, etc. You have until tip-off of the first game on Thursday, March 21st to enter.

NESCACHOCKEY. COM TOURNAMENT CHALLENGE 

Recruitment 
With the season officially over for all of D-III and most of awards season having come and gone, the majority of the attention in the NESCAC puck world turns towards recruiting. We'll have our own list and coverage, but for now you can check out the WordPress blog's recruitment list  and the USCHO forum recruitment list thread.

If you know of other credible resources for D-III hockey recruitment or have tips on recruits not listed on any of these sites, please email us.

Happy St. Patrick's Day: 2012-13 All-Irish NESCAC Team

Pi Day and St. Patrick's Day within three days of one another? What more could an Irish nerd ask for? To celebrate a routine Catholic holiday turned de facto Irish Heritage Day in America, as well as it is being awards season in college hockey, we present the NESCAC men's hockey All-Irish (last names) Team for the 2012-13 season.  For information on the Irish origin of these players' last names, check out House of Names.

Dougherty Family crest

1st Team NESCAC All-Irish
Sean Dougherty    Williams         (G, So.) 
John McGinnis     Bowdoin         (F, So)
Mike Moher          Amherst          (F, Sr.)
Cory McGrath       Colby             (F, Sr.)
Tim McGarry         Bowdoin       (D, Sr.)
Robbie Donahoe    Middlebury   (D, Jr.)



2nd Team NESCAC All-Irish 
Nathan Corey        Amherst        (G, Sr.) 
Tommy Hartnett    Wesleyan       (F, So.)
Pat Curtis              Hamilton       (F, So.)
Colin Downey        Bowdoin       (F/D, Jr.)
Michael Flynn       Trinity           (D, So.)
Brian McNamara   Williams       (D, So.)

FINAL: Women and Men's NCAA D-III Hockey Championships

WOMEN (from Superior, Wisconsin) 
Elmira          1
Middlebury  0
FINAL Box Score Preview 

1st Period: Middlebury has three power plays but can't capitalize. First period ends as it began, 0-0. Shots are even too, 6-6.

2nd Period: Elmira goes on their first power play of the game 3:18. The Soaring Eagles get a few good shots but can't put it in. Elmira gets another Power play chance when Middlebury's Maggie Woodward gets called for hooking 9:41 into the period.  Not long after the second penalty of the period is killed, Vermont native Taylor Steadman puts the Soaring Eagles up 1-0 on an assist by yesterday's OT hero Sam Curk. With three and a half remaining Curk gets called for checking (can't hit like the boys in women's hockey) but Middlebury falls to 0-4 on the PP for the game. Much higher paced period, with shots in favor of Elmira 14-11 for the period and 20-17 for the game.

3rd Period: With 7:30 remaining Middlebury's leader in points Hannah Bielawski has a breakaway but is stoned by Elmira's Lauren Sullivan. The Panthers call timeout with 2:34 remaining. Middlebury finally pulls Annabelle Jones with 1:20 remaining, but has to put her back in just 14 seconds later for a faceoff. The Panthers finally pull her for good with thirty seconds to go but they can't muster a goal. Final shots in favor of Middlebury 30-26. It is a nation leading 11th shutout of the season for Sullivan.

Elmira avenges the 2005 finals loss to Middlebury and wins their first NCAA D-III Women's Ice Hockey Championship in 10 years.



MEN (from Lake Placid, NY)
Oswego                            3
Wisconsin Eau-Claire       5
FINAL Box Score 

1st Period: After Oswego gets its first shot 8 minutes in, the Lakers go on the first PP of the game 8:44 in on an Isaiah Bennis elbowing call. The Blugolds All-American goalie Brandon Stephenson robs Zach Josepher and Tyler Leimbrock on the power play. As the power play expires at 10:44, Bobby Gertsakis bangs home a rebound off a Look Moodie shot to put the Lakers up 1-0. 31 seconds later Chris Muise beats Stephenson and Oswego takes a 2-0 lead.  Despite the score, W-EC controls most of the first 12 minutes.

Chris Muise erases the goodwill from his goal a few minutes later with a boarding call to put the Blugolds on their first power play. Just seven seconds into the man advantage W-EC's Jordan Singer gets his team on the board, 2-1. Leimbrock gets tripped by Alex Olson to put the Lakers back on the power play with 3:11 remaining, but the Blugolds kill it. W-EC ties it on an Andrew Wilcox goal with just 53 seconds remaining. 1st period ends with the score knotted at two, shots in favor of the Blugolds 13-11.

2nd Period: 6:29 into the period Daniel Olszewksi gives W-EC their first lead of the game on a goal off a rebound. Lakers have three power plays in the period, including a 5-3 for 41 seconds, but they can't capitalize. Shots in favor of Oswego 7-4 in the period, 18-17 for the game. Oswego begins the third on the PP.

3rd Period: Blugolds kill off the penalty. 7:20 into the period W-EC gets an insurance goal from Devin Mantha, son of  former NHL player Moe Mantha. Gerstakis gets his second of the night when his shot from the right point carroms off a defender's skate and into the net exactly halfway through the period. 4-3.  Kurt Weston puts in an empty netter with 58 seconds remaining to seal it. Shots in favor of Oswego 30-25 for the game.

1st NCAA men's hockey title for W-EC in only their second NCAA Tournament appearance (1st was last year). Though they aren't near Buffalo,  it is appropriate that Oswego is from upstate New York, as they lose back to back national championships a la the 90s Buffalo Bills.

NCAA D-III Women's Hockey Final: Middlebury vs Elmira 8 PM Satruday 3/16/13

Who: Middlebury Panthers (20-7-2) vs Elmira Soaring Eagles (23-5-1) 
Where: Wessman Arena Superior, WI
When: 8:00 PM Saturday 3/16/13
Audio/Video: NCAA Video 

Stats (National Rank)                             Team Leaders                  
Offense: 3.28 G/GM (10)                        Hannah Bielawski (F, So.)  (9-22-31)
Defense: 1.69 G/GM (9)                         Emily Fluke (F, So.)           (17-12-29)
Power Play: 33/137 24.09% (6)              Katie Sullivan (F, So.)        (13-12-25)
Penalty Kill: 66/76 86.8% (11)               Annabelle Jones (G, So.)    1.39 GAA

Stats (National Rank)                              Team Leaders
Offense: 4.21 G/GM(4)                            Ashley Ryan (F, So.)        (17-14-31)                            
Defense: 1.14 G/GM (1)                          Tanis Lamoureux (F, Jr.)  (13-14-27)
Power Play: 22/116 - 19.97% (16)            Ashton Hogan (F, So.)       (19-7-26) 
Penalty Kill: 98/106 - 92.5% (2)               Lauren Sullivan (G, Sr.)     1.24 GAA





The Lowdown: This one's for all the marbles 
Both the Panthers and Soaring Eagles defeated previously unbeaten teams in the semi-finals to reach the D-III NCAA women's ice hockey final. For Middlebury, they took care of top ranked Plattsburgh, 4-1, in the first semi-final. After trailing 3-2 in the final three minutes against Gustavus Adolphus, Elmira scored a short handed goal then netted one in the final minute of OT to defeat the Golden Gusties 4-3.

Middlebury (NESCAC) and Elmira (ECAC-West) both received at-large bids into the women's tourney after losing their respective conference finals. In the Quarterfinal round, Middlebury came from behind to beat host Norwich,3-2, in OT to punch their ticket to the Frozen Four in Superior, WI. Elmira defeated NESCAC tournament champion Bowdoin, 4-0, in front of the Polar Bear faithful at the Sid to earn their trip out West.

The two teams are no stranger to one another, having played twice in the 2012-13 season. Middlebury swept the regular season series, beating Elmira, 4-3, in OT of the Cardinal/Pardinal Classic back in November, as well as at Elmira, 3-1, in February.

This is the first time Middlebury has made the finals since losing to Plattsburgh in the 2007 championship, a year after beating the same Cardinals in the 2006 finals. Elmira's last trip to the title game was 2009, when they lost to Amherst. The Panthers and Soaring Eagles met in the 2005 Finale, with Middlebury winning  4-3.

Players to watch 
Annabelle Jones (G, So.) The sophomore from Homer, NY made 27 saves in the semis to hold the Cardinals to their lowest goal output (1) all season. Jones is 4th in the country in Goals Against Average (1.39) and 5th in Save Percentage (.943).

Lauren Sullivan (G, Sr.) The senior from Ontario made 38 saves in the semis to send her team to the finals. Sullivan ranks second in the country in GAA (1.24) and seventh in the country in Save Percentage (.938).  Sullivan may be tired after facing 38 shots in a game that went to overtime less than 22 hours before the Finals will start.

In honor of these teams meeting in the end, and having beaten two undefeated teams in the semis to get here, we present Snow Patrol's "In The End" off of their sixth studio album Fallen Empires.

Scoreboard: Men's and Women's NCAA D-III Frozen Four Semifinals

MEN (from Lake Placid)
Oswego State     6
Norwich              3
FINAL   Box Score 

1st Period: Norwich's AHCA Third-Team All American Pierre Olivier Cotnoir scores 20 seconds in to give the Cadets the lead. Just a day after being named AHCA Sid Watson Award winner, Paul Rodrigues ties the game 3:18 in. Shots in favor of Oswego 12-10. No penalties in the first period.

2nd Period: The first eight minutes were rather middling, but Norwich's Kyle Thomas broke the monotony off a well placed pass from Corey Hale to put the Cadets up 2-1 at 8:06 of the 2nd. Oswego answered right back, even faster than they did in the 1st, on a goal 1:23 later from Tim Carr, assisted by Kyle Badham and Carr's brother Chris.

The Lakers get the first power play of the game at 11:43 when the Cadets Erik Lyrvall is called for holding. Oswego gets two shots on the PP but does not score. Norwich's Tory Allen has a shorthanded opportunity after intercepting a pass from Paul Rodrigues, but Allen misses the net on a shorthanded breakaway. Norwich gets its first power play with 39.5 remaining on a tripping call against Nick Rivait. Cadets will start the third on the PP.  Shots in favor of Oswego 27-17 for the game, 15-7 for the period.

3rd Period: Chris Muise scores 6:24 in to give the Lakers the lead. They pad the lead at 12:04 and 13:47 with goals from Tyler Limbrock and Matt Singleton to make it 5-2. Corey Hale snaps one past Andrew Hare for his first of the season and cuts it to 5-3 with 2:11 left. Tim Carr nets an empty netter to make it 6-3 and the Lakers head to the title game for the second straight year.

Oswego puts up six on the best scoring defense (statistically at least) in the country. NESCAC fans might remember that Oswego ousted Amherst, 2-1, in the 2012 national semifinal on an overtime goal by the Lakers' Rodrigues.


Wisconsin Eau-Claire       5
Utica                                1
FINAL   Box Score

1st Period: Blugolds go on the power play 3:42 into the game on a Utica tripping call, but the Pioneers kill the penalty. Utica goes on their first power play when Eau-Claire's Brian Neihring gets called for tripping with 1:43 left. Pioneers will have a PP for the first 17 seconds of the second period. Shots in favor of the Blugolds 11-6.

2nd Period: At exactly 10 minutes into the period, Utica's AHCA First Team All-American Louie Educate beats the Blugold's AHCA First Team All-American goalie Brandon Stephenson to put the Pioneers up 1-0. W-EC scores two goals within 22 seconds of each other in the 13th minute of the period to take the lead; goals by Jordan Singer and Ross Anderson, with the first goal a bit of a softie. Shots in favor of the Blugolds 20-19 after two. They got there in a different manner, but Utica finds themselves down 2-1 going into the third just as they did in the Quarterfinals against Bowdoin.

3rd Period:   Kurt Weston redirects a Jack Calahan shot 1:32 in the final frame and the Blugolds take a 3-1 lead. Will be tough for the Pioneers to come back against one of the best goalies in the country. Utica goes to the power play 5:27 in on a too many men on the ice call against W-EC.  Pair of offsetting penalties in the middle of the PP, but nothing doing for Utica and they are now 0-4 on the night with the extra man. Excellent fore-checking from the Blugolds.

With 8:46 remaining, Blugods get called for another too many men on the ice penalty. Not only can the Pionners not get a goal, but Weston gets a short handed goal, his second of the period, when the puck comes free into the Utica zone; Therrien hesitates on whether to come out and play it and Weston puts it by the Pioneer goaltender with 6:58 left.

With 3:26 remaining Utica calls a timeout. Desperate to make a comeback, the Pioneers come out of the timeout with Therrien pulled. W-EC's Andersen nets an empty netter to seal it with 2:39 remaining. Blugolds get called for another penalty with 1:22 to play, but Utica cannot score, ending the game 0-6 on the PP. Shots in favor of Utica for the game, 32-26.

WOMEN (from Superior, Wisconsin)
Middlebury         4
Plattsburh State  1
FINAL   Box Score 

1st Period: Middlebury senior Lauren Greer scores her 11th goal of the year on the PP at 10:10 to give the Panthers the lead.  Middlebury outshootss Plattsburgh 12-9 in the first period. Six total penalties in the period, with Plattsburgh going 0-1 and Middlebury going 1/3.

2nd Period: Plattsburgh scores an early goal but it is waived off due to a high sticking call. Middlebury makes it 2-0, after Emily Fluke gets a break away after a blocked shot. Plattsburgh's Sydney Aveson makes a save but it trickles past the line at 3:40. Allison Era is called for hooking on Fluke on the play and to add insult to letting up a goal, the Panthers go on the PP. The Cardinals kill the penalty, but later Bridget Balisy of Plattsburgh gets called for interference, but Middlebury can't score on the power play. At the end of 2, shots in favor of Middlebury 19-18, but Plattsburgh edges them out 9-5 for the period.

3rd Period: Scary moment as Middlebury's Sara Ugdale takes an awkward hit into the boards about two minutes in and has to be helped off the ice. Plattsburgh cuts the deficit in half when Chelsean Vanglahn beats Annabelle Jones 3:07 in on an unassisted goal. Julia Wardwell gets called for hooking at 5:17, giving the CArdinals their second PP of the game, but the Panthers kill the penalty. Molly Downey scores a goal on a scrum in front of the net with 2:35 to go to put the Panthers up 3-1. It is officially unassisted but goal set up by hustle of Katie Sullivan to get to the puck behind the net and put it in front. Maggie Woodward adds an empty netter to make it 4-1. Shots on goal in favor of the Cardinals 28-23 for the game.

Middlebury heads to the national championship game for the first time since 2007, when they lost to Plattsburgh 2-1. This was the first loss of the season for the 2012-13 incarnation of the Plattsburgh State women's hockey team.


Elmira                         4
Gustavus Adolphus    3
FINAL OT     Live Stats

1st Period: Elmira's Ashton Hogan scores an unassisted goal 18:13 in the first to give Elmira the 1-0 lead. Shots in favor of Gustavus 11-7.

2nd Period: Jenna Christensen scores on a breakaway to tie the game at 1-1 with 17:16 left. Lindsey Hjelm nets a rebound to give Gustavus a 2-1 lead with 10:51 left in the second period. Gustavus breakdown on the blue line leads to an Elmira goal. Score tied 2-2 with 5:59 left in the second. Shots in favor of Adolphus 21-13 after two.

3rd Period: Amanda Cartony scores from Lindsey Hjelm to put Gustavus up 3-2 with 8:10 left in the game.
Elmira takes advantage of a 2-on-1 break short handed, scores with 2:51 remaining to tie the game at 3-3.

OT: Regardless of who wins, this game going to OT marks an advantage for Middlebury since they not only played earlier today but also won in regulation. The national championship will be less than 22 hours after whenever this game ends. Elmira's Sam Curk wins it in the final 40 seconds of the first OT to send the Soaring Eagles to the finals against Middlebury. The Elmira/Middlebury final is a rematch of the 2005 NCAA D-III women's final, with the Panthers taking that game 4-3.

This will be the fifth title game for Elmira and the first since 2009. Like Plattsburgh did earlier, Gustavus Adolphus lost their first game of the season tonight. The Golden Gusties lose despite outshooting the Soaring Eagles 41-26. The two one loss teams will play each other tomorrow afternoon in the consolation game.

News and Notes 3/14/13: Pi Day Edition

Happy Pi Day 

First celebrated by physicist Larry Shaw at the San Fransisco Exploratorium in 1988, Pi Day has became an annual celebration of the mathematical constant pi (π) across the globe on 3/14. Pi is an irrational number, with the most common approximation being 3.14, hence March 14th being Pi Day. 

National Awards  
The American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) announced the winners of the Sid Watson and Edward Jeremiah Awards, as well as their All-American teams, tonight at the student athlete banquet in Lake Placid, NY. 

Oswego State's Paul Rodrigues took home the 2013 Sid Watson Award, given to the best player in D-III men's hockey. Wesleyan junior Keith Buehler was NESCAC's only finalist.  The 2012 award winner was Amherst standout goalie Jonathon La Rose.

Wisconsin Eau Claire's Matt Leon won the Edward Jeremiah Award, given to the best coach in D-III men's hockey. Trinity's Matt Greason was the NESCAC finalist. Amherst's Jack Arena won his first Ed Jeremiah Award in 2012. 

Wesleyan's Buehler made the second team All-American for the East Region. Bowdoin senior Tim McGarry made the third team. For a full list of AHCA All-Americans, click here.

D3Hockey.com goes to Clinton
 On the way to Lake Placid to cover the men's D-III Frozen Four, D3hockey.com's Matt Webb stopped off in historic Clinton, NY to visit Hamilton College's Sage Arena. For a write-up of his experience, click here (towards the bottom of the page).